The spotlights went out with a click, dropping the group of ten into complete darkness. Fluttershy shrieked in terror as something long and cold wrapped around her leg, before another shape bound her neck.

“Get the switch!” Twilight yelped, charging towards where she last saw the chair. She was silenced by yet another tendril slithering around her own throat.

A rather large gathering of the dark limbs was creeping its way to Myra, Unbeknownst to her. She didn’t notice them until she had already been encompassed in them, yet her screams went unheard as they carried her further in, the lights clicked on in time for her to see the terror that she was being drawn towards:

In place of her old friend sat a creature with the body of a pony, but the eyes of all hell, and enough hatred filled him that a physical heat pounded through the room. He was suspended by a pillar formed by the Threads, and they stretched out and covered the floor, ceiling, and walls.

Myra was sweating from both her fear, and the intense temperature by the time she came face-to-face with the Shadow.

“Welcome…” the Shadow hissed, “… to your nightmares...”

“Myra!” Applejack screamed, trying to fight her way past the dark forms in a desperate attempt to free her friends.

The tentacles snaked their way back around Myra’ face until they covered her completely. There was a blood-curdling scream, and the countless arms reopened to reveal an empty space where the Pegasus used to be.

“NO!”

The Stranger’s bellow of rage echoed across the halls of the Albatross as he rushed forward. The Shadow caught sight of him before he gained much ground, however, and snatched him with black fingers.

“What did you do to her?” Applejack demanded, throwing her weight into the bars of her slick cage.

“I needed an assurance that you’d be my guests, so I sent one of you early.” The Shadow taunted.

“Be your guests?” Fluttershy shuddered, surrounded by the limbs.

“Why, yes!" It spoke again, feigning surprise. "My lord is planning a party, and you’re all invited. Of course, you won't want to leave without participating in… the games.”

“Doesn’t sound like a party I’d want to attend!” Pinkie shouted from within her own prison.

The Shadow put on a fake pout, and looked over to her. “Such a pity,” he sighed, clinging onto the eight ponies, and throwing them into his view: “because if you don’t arrive…”

He summoned up a mass of black tar, and shaped it into Myra’s form. He then used a tendril to wrap around her neck: and squeezed.

The others all watched in horror as the construct’s head rolled on the floor after a sickening squelch, and they had very little trouble imagining it as Myra’s own. The Shadow saw the fear in their eyes, and grinned in pleasure at the immense spectacle of it all. He used the Threads to fully encompass them all in a room of his own making: the floor and walls were now polished, and inky. But the lights coming through the ceiling now only illuminated the ponies in a harsh, half-lit glow.

“Mac…” Twilight choked, “what happened to you?”

Another fiery-eyed Shadow stepped out from the wall: the mass of tar sliding off of him as if he were birthed from the stuff itself.

“I started to see with great clarity, my dear Twilight.” It hissed. “I’ve seen the future laid out for me: nothing but tending to the insignificant needs of others, while I myself wither away and become weak, until I’ve faded into obscurity. While you, and all my other ‘friends’, take a ride unto infinite glory!”

Twilight was taken aback: “What are—?”

“I was trained to be a warrior!” The first Shadow screamed. “And what do I do with my time? Am I a royal guard? No! Do I ever get to help when the monsters attack? Of course not! Do I even get to go hunting, to prevent the monsters from even coming out of the Everfree? No!”

The copy screamed in agony and knelt, and half the group gave startled shrieks as its face and body started to morph: sickening crunches could be heard as the flesh and bone rearranged. By the time it looked up, its entire appearance was reformed. Before them now stood a creature with the body of a grey-coated, maneless pony. But its lower jaw- if it ever had one- was missing: replaced by a gaping hole in its face and throat. It didn’t look like it was torn out, however, more like a permanent defect. Its tail was a mass of grey strands of dead hair, its limbs were thinner than that of the average pony, and its ears ended in jagged points.

Several identical beasts peeled themselves out from the walls, and forced the ponies to retreat to a single corner. A new voice rang out from the first demon’s throat, echoing across the hall, its sound similar to an axe dragging on jagged stone.

“We are here to help you play the game, as you already know the consequences if you fail to…”

Begrudgingly, Rainbow Dash accepted the ultimatum, feeling bile build in her throat at the sight of these new threats.

“What would you have us do, fiend?”

The dark being shook his head. “Such inspiring Loyalty, the Alliance serves you well.”

Rainbow dropped her head, looking defeated. “I just want my friends back.”

The demon smiled, and backed into the wall as the others followed suit. Soon, they were swallowed back into the inky substance. Then, to the surprise of all, the Threads themselves retreated: slowly recoiling back into the form that once held the soul of a fellow pony, causing it to smile sickly.

“Catch me, if you can…” The Shadow laughed, turning on his heels, and speeding out the doorway. It barely took a second for the Elements, the Stranger, and Orion to pursue.

They chased the Shadow up to the deck of the ship, but were confused when he simply stopped as soon as he reached the railing, and looked back at them. They paused at the sight of his hesitance, until Twilight stepped forward.

“Alright, we’re at the starting gate. What are the rules?” She asked impatiently. The Shadow smiled at her assertiveness, and looked into the sky. Seeing it was already midday, he cast his gaze back onto them.

“The Games start in the morning.” He coughed, catching them all off guard.

“Why in the morning? Why not right now?” Rainbow demanded.

The Shadow smirked, and pointed behind them. “It appears that we have some newcomers.”

All turned to see another airship gliding towards them: a blazing Phoenix gliding alongside. The lettering on the hull named it Sundrop, and its design was reminiscent of Canterlot Architecture.

“It’s the Princesses!” Twilight sighed hopefully.

Hooves down, this was probably one of the most awkward meetings Mac had been in since his adventure began. For here, at the other end of the very table he was beside, sat his alternate. He expected the Shadow to have an intimidating presence, but was surprised to see that it also seemed to be enjoying every minute of its suffering. It just... sat there: stirring its tea, and taking the occasional sip. And the presence the Shadow put out unnerved Mac more than any of the hate-filled stares he’d gotten from Rainbow Dash before.

The others seemed uncomfortable with his presence at the meeting as well, as Celestia and Luna eyed him calmly and carefully, Twilight and Rarity shifted nervously in their seats. Pinkie seemed slightly deflated, while Applejack and Rainbow glared suspiciously; yet hopefully at him. And Fluttershy was preoccupied with fretting about Myra's safety.

Spike, Orion, and himself sat at a side table. One was worried, while the other merely curious.

Capt. Warp and his crew looked ready to beat the snot out of the Shadow, and the Guards he inconvenienced looked at him in mixed wonder, and terror. The orange one looked a little more relaxed then yesterday, though. The Shadow put out an eerie smile, and lifted the tea to his lips.

“I feel I’m under closer scrutiny than the Thestrals were.” He hissed, voice oozing with a sickly smug tone. Similar to how a viper might sound before lunging at her prey. Celestia wrinkled her nose at the harsh reminder.

After a few more minutes of baited silence, the Shadow stood up. "Well, as it seems you fools are too nervous of me to converse, I feel it is time for me to retire for the night." He declared in a bored tone, making his way to the door.

At a signal from Twilight, the crew blocked his path, causing him to quirk an eyebrow.

“Are you so eager to start this game early that you’re willing to risk your friend’s life?” He chuckled, before his expression soured, and the unholy fire in his eyes lit up further. “I’ve been doing nothing but stand around and mope for three days and nights, nonstop. Even we 'Shadows' need our rest.”

“How do we know you won’t disappear again?” Twilight asked coolly, setting her tea down.

“My dear Twilight,” the Shadow replied in a mock hurt tone: lifting a hoof to his chest, “why would I invite you to play a game, only to disappear when time comes to play?”

“He has a point.” The Stranger said, gesturing vaguely with a hoof. Twilight pondered the situation, nodded, and looked to the guard.

“Flash, I’m assigning you and Trim to keep him under supervision.” She sighed.

The orange Pegasus bowed. “Yes, Princess Twilight.” He returned, causing Twilight to turn a slight shade of red.

“I-it’s just Twilight!” She stammered, but he and the other guard had already escorted the Shadow out.

"Senpai..." she muttered weakly.

When the door closed, Thorpe raised his hoof to speak, but stopped when Celestia turned to Twilight. “Tell me more of this… game. Why do you have to play?”

Twilight smiled grimly, and gestured around the table. Celestia followed the area that her hoof covered, and noticed the absence of a certain ivory Pegasus. Shivers passing down her spine, she cast a worried look to Twilight that explained her fears perfectly.

“He said he ‘sent her early’.” Twilight quoted. “She should be safe, unless we refuse to play.”

“I see,” Celestia pondered.

“What of the game itself?” Luna cut in. “What is it, and how do you play?”

“He said he’ll let us know in the mornin’ when he saw your ship coming up behind us, and he seemed right pleased with your appearance.” Applejack answered. “Makes me wonder what he has in store for us, if the appearance of somepony even more powerful makes him giddy.”

Celestia and Luna exchanged worried glances, and then cast their gazes to Twilight, who shared their bleak expression.

“Why in the morning? Why not start as soon as he can?” Celestia asked again.

“He said he was buying time for Ke-whose-his-face to build some sort of mechanism,” Rainbow added, “something for us to fight, on my money.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure…” Orion said thoughtfully, looking out a window.

Rarity trotted up to him, and set a hoof on his shoulder. “What’s wrong, darling?”

He looked over to her sadly, and stood up. “I need to go back, to Canterlot. The Portal back should be reopened by the time I get to it.” He said flatly.

Rarity drew her hoof back, and stared at him in disbelief. “You’re… you’re leaving m—us?” She asked, choking slightly. “You can’t leave us behind like this! After all we’ve endured side by side, you’re just leaving on a whim—?”

She was silenced when he gave her an apologetic peck on the cheek, before heading to the door. Her entire face flushed a deep shade of red, and her jaw hung open as she watched him walk away. He stopped for a second, and looked back into her eyes. After a few silent seconds, he turned to the Princesses.

“Is it alright if I borrow one of the Lifeboats from the Sundrop for my journey?”

Celestia nodded, and he was gone.

Rarity was frozen in the same place: her face never relenting its deep shade. Slowly, she turned around to face her friends, who were all watching her with mixed expressions.

“I-… uh…” she looked over to the Stranger, “can I go with him?”

“No,” Mac shook his head. And then he saw her expression fall.

“But, if I know him, he’ll come back: if only for you.” He added with a wiggle of his brow.

Warp started to hold up his hoof again to speak, but he stopped when Rarity sighed, and seemed to notice something stuck to her chest. She looked down to see the piece of paper the waiter had handed him last night. She took it off, and examined it:

Orion,

I’ve had a vision, and found there is a need for you back in your homeworld. I am sorry, but we need you back there: as you may have access to certain methods that could be of use in destroying his following.

Luna.

Rarity sighed, and looked over to Luna. “Does he have to go?”

Luna said nothing, but nodded solemnly, prompting Rarity to let out a defeated sigh as she headed back to her seat at the table.

“What are we supposed to do now?” Rainbow asked cautiously. “I mean, Mac might think we intentionally let a player leave his little ‘game’ early, how do we convince him otherwise?”

Twilight scratched a hoof on her chin, and opened her mouth. But before she could answer, there was a loud knocking on the floor beneath them, and a familiar voice rang through the wood:

“I heard the whole thing, meatheads. Now, could you do a pony a favor, and take the meeting outside so I can get my sleep?”

“What?!” Twilight shrieked.

“I’ve been trying to bring that up,” Warp said tiredly, “that’s why we never allow meetings in the dining hall after ten: ponies need their sleep.”

Twilight was fuming at this, her face looked ready to explode. “And you let an entire drama play out over a possessed pony who could likely kill us all without blinking, without doing anyth--?!”

She was cut off as a tendril had snaked between the floorboards, and gripped her throat. Another slithered in front of her, and shaped itself into the Shadow’s head.

“I said: take. It. Out. To. The. Deck.” It deadpanned, before releasing her, and disappearing back into the floor.

The Princesses led the group outside in time for Rarity to see a small pod deploy from the Sundrop, unfurl two wing-like sails and a rather large balloon, and fly off towards the silhouette of Canterlot. Rarity’s eyes glazed a little at the sight, and she hung her head: slowly turning back to face her friends.

“What do you think this ‘Mechanism’ is, Fluttershy?” Rarity asked after a moment of silence, dying to change the subject from their friend’s departure.

“I- I think he mentioned it already, if unknowingly…” Fluttershy sighed, looking back to the doorway.

“What do you mean, ‘Shy?” Applejack asked skeptically. Fluttershy rubbed her forehead thoughtfully with a hoof.

“I don’t know,” she said quietly, “but something about those rhymes he sang when he came here… stands out. But, I can’t place it…”

“Lackluster, it appears, is my timing. What is this I hear of rhyming?” Zecora inquired, poking her head out from behind Celestia.

“Huh? Oh, yeah. Mac tried to cripple our morale with creepy rhymes, but Orion rebutted with a couple verses of his own.” Applejack said proudly.

“Indeed?” The Zebra said cryptically. “Is there no end to his skills? Surely those rhymes must have brought about chills.”

“He can’t hang-glide,” Mac shrugged.

Zecora narrowed her eyes at him. “Your bland humor fails to cause any laughing gales.”

Mac returned the gesture. “One of these days Zecora, I’ll make you break your rhyming streak. Trust me.”

“A Chaos spirit’s reign couldn’t break my mood, what makes you think that the likes of you could?”

Mac groaned inwardly, lifting his hoof to rub his head.

“Maybe we should all get our rest,” Celestia suggested calmly, “we’ll need to be ready when this ‘Game’ is to be played.”

With sober nods, everypony returned to their rooms.

Next Chapter: Chapter Fifteen: End of the Beginning. Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 34 Minutes